Memphis Taps National Leader Ted White to Oversee Academic Services and Student-Athlete Welfare
Jun 16, 2025 | General
MEMPHIS, Tenn. – University of Memphis Senior Vice President and Director of Athletics Ed Scott, Ph.D., has named Ted White to the department's executive leadership team as the new Executive Associate Athletic Director for Academic Services and Student-Athlete Welfare.
""We are pleased to welcome an experienced administrator like Ted to the Tiger Family as the Executive Associate Athletic Director for Academic Services and Student-Athlete Welfare," University of Memphis Senior Vice President and Director of Athletics, Ed. Scott, Ph.D. said. "Ted is a proven leader in our industry and will bring a dynamic perspective to the department and executive team. Ted possesses a natural ability to connect with student-athletes and will immediately enhance the overall student-athlete experience at Memphis."
In his role, White will be responsible for managing all aspects of student-athlete academics and well-being. He will oversee the planning and execution of operations within both units while also developing and implementing strategies to promote holistic student development and success within athletics. White will collaborate with academic departments, coaches and support staff to address academic and personal needs of student-athletes, prioritizing their educational achievements and overall well-being. Additionally, White will work with the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee to support student-athlete engagement and leadership initiatives.
"I'm incredibly excited to join Ed Scott, Kathy Sulentic and the talented team at the University of Memphis," White said. "The shared vision between the athletics department, the University and the Memphis community is powerful and inspiring. Together, we have the potential to create life-changing experiences for our student-athletes and elevate success across the board. There's never been a better time to be a Tiger."
White has most recently served as the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of the Fair Ball Foundation. He founded the group in 2021 with the mission of promoting access to higher education and stronger, more diverse sports at the collegiate level and beyond. The organization helps prospective student-athletes thrive through professional development, mentoring and support.
White also served as the Vice President of Collegiate Partnerships for Game Plan. The organization has the goal of using its software platform to integrate eLearning and virtual mentorship and career services across collegiate athletic departments. Game Plan currently works with over 750 athletic departments and organizations with over 240,000 courses completed yearly.
"We are thrilled to welcome Ted to the University of Memphis," said UofM Deputy Athletics Director for Regulatory Affairs Kathy Sulentic. "Throughout his career, Ted has been a passionate and unwavering advocate for student-athletes and we're excited that he will continue championing their success and well-being as part of our team."
White served in an executive staff role at the University of Virginia as the Deputy Athletic Director of Strategic Advancement after also serving in the same role within the Student Development and Sport Performance department at Virginia. In addition to his role overseeing the strategic advancement of the Virginia Athletic Department, White served as the sport administrator for the men's basketball, field hockey and baseball programs. He created the UVA Pathways Program, which allows student-athletes to clearly identify their goals and purpose, develop networks and measure progress through engagement in community relations, academics, career preparation, leadership and personal development activities. He was also responsible for the Ethical Leadership Academy, Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and an organization known as BOSS (Black Student-Athletes Offering Service and Support).
His role as Deputy Athletic Director of Student Development and Sport Performance also saw White oversee the sports medicine, nutrition, strength and conditioning and sports psychology programs.
After leaving Virginia to create the Fair Ball Foundation, White's position was filled by UofM's Director of Athletics Ed Scott, Ph.D., who served in the role until his hiring at Memphis in July 2024.
White spent 12 years within the athletic department at the University of Georgia. He began as a Director of the Rankin Smith Sr. Academic Center for Student-Athletes in 2006, where he helped create an academic support program for first-year student-athletes while also creating a web-based academic scheduling, monitoring and reporting system to enhance student-athlete academic achievements and ensure accountability. He then moved to a role as an Associate Athletic Director, gaining responsibilities of oversight of the academic support program, along with serving as the sport administrator for the Georgia equestrian and women's soccer programs. He moved into a senior staff role in 2011, becoming the Senior Associate Athletic Director overseeing academic and career readiness.
White continued to serve as a member of the University of Georgia Athletics Task Force while also developing career development programming that served both current and former student-athletes. He became a member of the executive staff in 2018, providing oversight of all student development programs, including but not limited to, sports medicine, nutrition and student wellness. After becoming a Deputy Athletic Director in 2018 at Georgia, White helped create The Georgia Way and participated in campus-wide initiatives including UGA LEAD, OneSource and Career CORE. He also served as the liaison to the Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost and was also a member of the President's Athletics Oversight Team and the University's Sexual Assault Response Team.
From 2002-2006, White worked within the Cox Communications Academic Center for Student-Athletes at Louisiana State University. In his initial role as an associate director, White was the academic coordinator for the men's and women's track and field programs, along with the freshman football student-athletes. After moving into a director's role, White became responsible for daily operations of the academic support unit, including budgetary issues and management of professional staff.
White worked at the University of California, Berkeley from 1997-2002 within the Athletic Study Center. Beginning as an academic counselor, White provided one-on-one and group academic counseling to athletes participating in football, basketball, rugby, track and field, cross country and former student athletes in the post-eligibility degree completion program. He also assumed roles as an associate director and interim director of the Athletic Study Center. His responsibilities grew to include policy and program development and implementation, along with coordination of all academic advising services among other duties. White also served as the university's representative to the National Football League, Major League Baseball and National Basketball Association regarding continuing education programs.
White's career in collegiate athletics began as the academic and eligibility coordinator at the University of California, Davis. He worked with academic advisors, career services, post-graduate advising, admission, financial aid, judicial affairs, student programs and housing as a liaison between student-athletes, campus administration and the athletic department. He was responsible for coordination of priority enrollment and academic planning for student-athletes, along with initiating AGS, a student-operated support organization for underrepresented student-athletes.
White served as a member of the NCAA Committee on Academics, the NCAA DI Legislative Committee and the NCAA DI Transfer Working Group. He was also a member of the ACC Committee for Racial and Social Justice at the University of Virginia, also serving as Vice Chair of the ACC Baseball Committee. White is also a member of the N4A's Committees on Student-Athlete Development and Legislative Services. Since 2020, White has also been the Committee Co-Chair for LEAD1's Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Working Group.
White holds a master's degree in sport management from the University of Richmond and a bachelor's degree in communication from the University of California, San Diego, where he was also a member of the Tritons baseball team. He also holds an Associate of Arts degree from Central Arizona College.
He is married to Carrie Leger White and is the father of two children, Jack and Sophie.
HOW TO FOLLOW THE TIGERS
For complete information on Memphis Tigers Athletics, visit www.GoTigersGo.com and follow the team's social media channels on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
""We are pleased to welcome an experienced administrator like Ted to the Tiger Family as the Executive Associate Athletic Director for Academic Services and Student-Athlete Welfare," University of Memphis Senior Vice President and Director of Athletics, Ed. Scott, Ph.D. said. "Ted is a proven leader in our industry and will bring a dynamic perspective to the department and executive team. Ted possesses a natural ability to connect with student-athletes and will immediately enhance the overall student-athlete experience at Memphis."
In his role, White will be responsible for managing all aspects of student-athlete academics and well-being. He will oversee the planning and execution of operations within both units while also developing and implementing strategies to promote holistic student development and success within athletics. White will collaborate with academic departments, coaches and support staff to address academic and personal needs of student-athletes, prioritizing their educational achievements and overall well-being. Additionally, White will work with the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee to support student-athlete engagement and leadership initiatives.
"I'm incredibly excited to join Ed Scott, Kathy Sulentic and the talented team at the University of Memphis," White said. "The shared vision between the athletics department, the University and the Memphis community is powerful and inspiring. Together, we have the potential to create life-changing experiences for our student-athletes and elevate success across the board. There's never been a better time to be a Tiger."
White has most recently served as the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of the Fair Ball Foundation. He founded the group in 2021 with the mission of promoting access to higher education and stronger, more diverse sports at the collegiate level and beyond. The organization helps prospective student-athletes thrive through professional development, mentoring and support.
White also served as the Vice President of Collegiate Partnerships for Game Plan. The organization has the goal of using its software platform to integrate eLearning and virtual mentorship and career services across collegiate athletic departments. Game Plan currently works with over 750 athletic departments and organizations with over 240,000 courses completed yearly.
"We are thrilled to welcome Ted to the University of Memphis," said UofM Deputy Athletics Director for Regulatory Affairs Kathy Sulentic. "Throughout his career, Ted has been a passionate and unwavering advocate for student-athletes and we're excited that he will continue championing their success and well-being as part of our team."
White served in an executive staff role at the University of Virginia as the Deputy Athletic Director of Strategic Advancement after also serving in the same role within the Student Development and Sport Performance department at Virginia. In addition to his role overseeing the strategic advancement of the Virginia Athletic Department, White served as the sport administrator for the men's basketball, field hockey and baseball programs. He created the UVA Pathways Program, which allows student-athletes to clearly identify their goals and purpose, develop networks and measure progress through engagement in community relations, academics, career preparation, leadership and personal development activities. He was also responsible for the Ethical Leadership Academy, Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and an organization known as BOSS (Black Student-Athletes Offering Service and Support).
His role as Deputy Athletic Director of Student Development and Sport Performance also saw White oversee the sports medicine, nutrition, strength and conditioning and sports psychology programs.
After leaving Virginia to create the Fair Ball Foundation, White's position was filled by UofM's Director of Athletics Ed Scott, Ph.D., who served in the role until his hiring at Memphis in July 2024.
White spent 12 years within the athletic department at the University of Georgia. He began as a Director of the Rankin Smith Sr. Academic Center for Student-Athletes in 2006, where he helped create an academic support program for first-year student-athletes while also creating a web-based academic scheduling, monitoring and reporting system to enhance student-athlete academic achievements and ensure accountability. He then moved to a role as an Associate Athletic Director, gaining responsibilities of oversight of the academic support program, along with serving as the sport administrator for the Georgia equestrian and women's soccer programs. He moved into a senior staff role in 2011, becoming the Senior Associate Athletic Director overseeing academic and career readiness.
White continued to serve as a member of the University of Georgia Athletics Task Force while also developing career development programming that served both current and former student-athletes. He became a member of the executive staff in 2018, providing oversight of all student development programs, including but not limited to, sports medicine, nutrition and student wellness. After becoming a Deputy Athletic Director in 2018 at Georgia, White helped create The Georgia Way and participated in campus-wide initiatives including UGA LEAD, OneSource and Career CORE. He also served as the liaison to the Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost and was also a member of the President's Athletics Oversight Team and the University's Sexual Assault Response Team.
From 2002-2006, White worked within the Cox Communications Academic Center for Student-Athletes at Louisiana State University. In his initial role as an associate director, White was the academic coordinator for the men's and women's track and field programs, along with the freshman football student-athletes. After moving into a director's role, White became responsible for daily operations of the academic support unit, including budgetary issues and management of professional staff.
White worked at the University of California, Berkeley from 1997-2002 within the Athletic Study Center. Beginning as an academic counselor, White provided one-on-one and group academic counseling to athletes participating in football, basketball, rugby, track and field, cross country and former student athletes in the post-eligibility degree completion program. He also assumed roles as an associate director and interim director of the Athletic Study Center. His responsibilities grew to include policy and program development and implementation, along with coordination of all academic advising services among other duties. White also served as the university's representative to the National Football League, Major League Baseball and National Basketball Association regarding continuing education programs.
White's career in collegiate athletics began as the academic and eligibility coordinator at the University of California, Davis. He worked with academic advisors, career services, post-graduate advising, admission, financial aid, judicial affairs, student programs and housing as a liaison between student-athletes, campus administration and the athletic department. He was responsible for coordination of priority enrollment and academic planning for student-athletes, along with initiating AGS, a student-operated support organization for underrepresented student-athletes.
White served as a member of the NCAA Committee on Academics, the NCAA DI Legislative Committee and the NCAA DI Transfer Working Group. He was also a member of the ACC Committee for Racial and Social Justice at the University of Virginia, also serving as Vice Chair of the ACC Baseball Committee. White is also a member of the N4A's Committees on Student-Athlete Development and Legislative Services. Since 2020, White has also been the Committee Co-Chair for LEAD1's Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Working Group.
White holds a master's degree in sport management from the University of Richmond and a bachelor's degree in communication from the University of California, San Diego, where he was also a member of the Tritons baseball team. He also holds an Associate of Arts degree from Central Arizona College.
He is married to Carrie Leger White and is the father of two children, Jack and Sophie.
HOW TO FOLLOW THE TIGERS
For complete information on Memphis Tigers Athletics, visit www.GoTigersGo.com and follow the team's social media channels on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
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